Improvement in machines for washing casks



A01VIUNTZENBERGER & H. UNDERWOOD'.

Machine for Washing UaSks.

No. 200,410. Patented Feb. 19,1878.

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U NITED STATEs PATENT OFFICE.

ADOLPH MUNTZENBERGER AND HENRY M. UNDERWOOD, OF KENOSHA, Wis; SAIDUNDERwoon ASSIGNOR TO SAID MUNTZENBERGER.

IMPROVEMENT IN MACHINES FOR WASHING CASKS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 200,470, dated February19, 1878; application filed November 12, 1877.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ADOLPH MUNTZEN- BERGER and HENRY M. UNDERwooD, ofKenosha, in the county of ,Kenosha and State of Wisconsin, have inventedcertain Improvements in Machines for Washing Casks, of which thefollowing is a specification:

Our invention relates to barrel washing machines, and is designed as animprovement 'on the machine for which Letters Patent were granted AdolphMuntzenberger, November 25, 1873, (No. 145,008, whereby the rack isadapted for the receptionof barrels and casks of varying sizes, a moreefficient action or motion is imparted to the same, and the powerrequired to operate the machine is reduced, the invention consisting,mainly, in suddenly arresting the movements of the rack by stops orbuffers; in elevating the rack by a positive movement, and permitting itto descend endwise, by gravity, against the stop or buffer; in apeculiar arrangement of the mechanical devices.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 represents a perspective view ofour improved device; Fig. 2, a longitudinal section of the same, andFig. 3 a transverse vertical section In the machine above referred to arack was employed having notches or seats to receive the casks orbarrels, which rack was suspended by links from. or within a strongframe, and received a reciprocating motion from a crankshaft through themedium of a pitman, the latter being so connected to the crank-shaft asto move therewith Without play or lost motion. The movement of the racktherefore corre-, sponded with and was entirely controlled by that ofthe crank-shaft.

In constructing our improved machine, we so arrange the parts that thereciprocating rack in which the casks are carried has its movementschecked suddenly by coming in contact with a stop or buffer, whereby thecasks are strongly jolted and the water dashed violently about therein.

The best results are attained when the rack is given a slight rising andfalling movement in addition to its reciprocation, the falling rackfroma crank-shaft through a pitman, which latter is so connected with thecrankshaft that it may move a certain distance independently of thesame, the crank-shaft serving merely to-throw the upper end of the linksalternately one side and the other of their lower pivots, when the rackcompletes its movement by reason of its gravity, thus relieving thecrank-shaft ofa large amount of labor formerly required to operate therack.

The movements of the rack are limited by suitable buffers, whereby thestrain and wear formerly brought upon the crank-shaft at the end of eachmovement are avoided, and a sudden jar is given to the rack, wherebytheaction of the machine is improved.

In the drawings,Arepresentsastrongframe, and B a rack, sustained abovethe same bybroad links 0, extending between the sides of the frame, andpivoted at their upper ends to the rack,.and at their lower ends to theframe, as shown. At one end of the frame is mounted a transversecrank-shaft, D, provided with a driving-pulley, H, and a hand-crank, G,by either of which it may be driven.

' E is a pitman connecting the rack B and crank-shaft D, for the purposeof imparting motion from the latter to the former. As shown at d, Figs.1 and 2, the pitman is slotted at the point of connection with thecrankshaft D, in the direction of its length, thereby permitting acertain amount of movement independent of the crank-shaft, this movementbeing limited, as hereinafter explained.

WVhen at the end of its movement, the rack stands in the positionindicated in Fig. 2,

where it remains until the crank-shaft passes down and comes against therear end of the slot d, when it begins to move the pitman and rackbackward, this motion continuing until the upper pivots of the links 0reach a point slightly inrear of the lower ones, when the weight of therack and the casks thereon causes it to fall or pitch backward, theslotted pitman moving over the crank-shaft, and not being held orcontrolled thereby. Having reached the limit of its movement in thisdirection, the rack stands at rest until the crank of the shaft Dtraverses the length of the slot in the pitman E, and bears at theforward end of the same, as represented in Fig. 1, when the pitman andrack are moved forward until the upper pivots of the links 0 fall uponthe other or forward side of their lower pivots, when the rack againdrops down of its own gravity, the slotted pitman moving upon the crankof shaft D, as before.

It will thus be seen that the crank-shaft is required to move the pitmanE but a very short distance in either direction.

In order to limit the movements of the rack B, and consequently those ofthe pitman E, a bumper-post, I, provided with rubber or other elastic orspring bufiers a on its sides, is secured firmly to the frame A, and hasits end extended upward between two cross-bars, b, of the rack, as shownin Fig. 2, in such position that one or the other of said cross-barsshall come in contact therewith when the rack has moved the requireddistance in either direction, they being so arranged as to stop themovement of the rack before the end of the slot in the pitman comes incontact with the crank of the shaft D, and thus all shock and jar uponthe latter are obviated.

While we have described and prefer to use the machine with its rackarranged to meet a buffer at each end of its movement, a successfulmachine may be made in which the rack will simply strike a buffer whenmoving in one direction. It is also manifest that, instead of a crankand pitman, a yoke and eccentric, a lever and cam, or other devicescommonly used in like cases, may be substituted to reciprocate the rack.It is also obvious that, instead of employing the links to sustain thrack, it may be given the same movements by providing it with rollersrunning on curved or doubly-inclined tracks. I

In order to adapt the rack B for the reception of casks and barrels ofvarying sizes, and prevent their moving or rolling about thereon, it isfurnished with a series of V-shaped notches, c, in both of its siderails or bars, in which the ends of the casks or barrels F seatthemselves, and are firmly held, irrespective of size or form. While theV-shaped notches are preferred as being more readily formed, it isapparent that the sides of the notches may be made convex and accomplishthe same result, provided they are inclined or converge toward thebottom.

In order that the pitman E may be readily detached from the crank-shaft,'an 1 opening is made through its under side into the slot (1, as shownin Figs. 1 and 2, so that it may be readily raised up off the crank whendesired.

The above-described construction permits the machine to be operated byacomparatively small power,the crank-shaft being required to move therack but a short distance in either direction. All jar and sudden strainon the crank-shaft are avoided, and the sudden stoppage of the rack andthe casks thereon causes the Water or other cleansing liquid containedin them to be violently agitated, and carried by its momentum entirelyaround the interior of the casks, thereby greatly increasing theefficiency of the action of the machine.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim is- 1. Thecombination of therack B, supported on the upper ends of links G, abuffer or stop to limit the movement of the rack, and the slotted pitmanand crank to impart motion thereto, substantially as shown anddescribed. 1 2. In a machine for washing casks, the combination of areciprocatingframe to carry the casks, mechanism for throwing said frameendwise, and a buffer or bufi'ers arranged to suddenly arrest themovement of the frame at each stroke, substantially as described.

3. In a cask-washing machine, acask-carrying frame having a horizontaland vertical movement, which is repeatedly elevated by positive action,and permitted to descend by gravity against a stop or bufl'er. k

4. In a cask-washing machine, a reciprocating cask-carryin g frame, abuffer or stop therefor, and operating mechanism, said members beingcombined and arranged substantially as shown. l y

5. In a cask-washing machine, a cask-carrying frame elevated by positiveact ng mechanism, and permitted to descend endwise to the right and leftalternately against stops or buffers.

6. In combination with the reciprocating rack B, mounted on the links 0,the double elastic buffer a a.

ADOLPH MUNTZENBERGER.- HENRY M. UNDERWOOD.

Witnesses J. S. BrcHAnnsoN, JAMES IRVING.

